Leighton Buzzard
Floods 1992
Places > Leighton Buzzard > Weather
On Wednesday 29th September, after days of heavy rain, the saturated ground could no longer absorb excess water and Leighton Buzzard saw flooding in many areas. Four inches of rain had fallen on the Tuesday night resulting in flooding in various parts of the town.
Hockliffe Road was soon flooded and only the large traffic could safely get through.
The ditch feeding into Clipstone Brook was full and there was too much water to flow under the little road bridge. Water began to overflow and run around the culvert and back into the Brook. The water surrounded the Scout hut in its new route to the brook.
Residents in Daisy Lane and Waterdell looked on in amazement as the water flowed up their gardens and lapped at their doors. They parked vehicles across the road to stop the traffic to stop them making waves which would send the water over the doorsteps into the houses.
Fire crews from Leighton, Dunstable, Shefford and Toddington worked for hours pumping water from homes and laying sandbags. Later a crew had to rescue passengers from a bus stranded in the water in Hockliffe road.
Billington Road residents were woken by the sound of water as it sloshed under their doors. The traffic rushing to leave the town made the problem worse as tidal waves sent the water over thresholds.
In Carina Drive fountains came up from the drains.
Lake Street which used to flood prior to preventative work done in the 1960s was once again full of stranded cars. Workers from Boss helped rescue passengers and stranded cars with fork lift trucks.
When the canal bust its banks fields behind the Boss factory on Grovebury Road were under water.
Gilbert Ingerfield School fields were flooded and Clipstone Brook Lower School had to close.
Leighton Buzzard bypass had to be closed at the Billington turn until the next afternoon.
The floods came 2 weeks after a grant of 35,000 had been allocated for flood protection.
Sources:
- Knee deep in chaos, eighton Buzzard Observer, 29/09/1992 p.22
- Anti-flood cash came too late, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 29/09/1992 p.1
Further Reading:
- Flooding bill will be over 10,000, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 27/10/1992
- Think tank to study flood chaos, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 22/10/1992
Back copies of the Leighton Buzzard Observer, formerly the Beds. and Bucks. Observer (1861 to date) can be seen in Leighton Buzzard Library or Bedford Central Library (1919 to date).
The floods of 1992, by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2008
Page last updated: 3rd February 2014